Fall 2024 Update

Our planning students (Mary, Mads, and Owen) and archaeology student (Vlad) have finished their theses! Published papers from their theses are completed or in the works. Visit Community Planning Report for summaries of their work. Thank you to the community members who supported this research. Also in the works is Dana K’s research based on interviews with community members about the artifacts/belongings that they have found on the island.

In Vlad’s thesis (“7,500 years of community-building on Xwe'etay Lasqueti Island), Salish Sea, British Columbia”), we’ve gained insights into where settlements were located, their size, and age. Not surprisingly, places like False Bay and Maple Bay had the oldest and largest communities, whereas places more buffeted by winds or more isolated from their neighbours (e.g., Squitty Bay), were settled later and were smaller. The island was first visited for short-term camps at least 7200 years ago. But, by about 6000 years ago, people began to stay and eventually built large settlements that were occupied until disease and other colonial processes forced Indigenous people to leave the island.

We also recorded many intertidal features (fish traps and clam gardens) as well as lookout sites. Together with the many artifacts/belongings people have found in their gardens, we surmise that Xwe’etay was one busy place in the Indigenous past.

Many Lasquetians have lent us the artifacts/belongings in their possession for analysis by our team. This includes descriptions of form, possible function, and a guestimate of age. The artifacts recovered range from spear and arrow points, hide scrapers, harpoon pieces, fish net weights, salmon knives, blades cores, and so on.

Using a non-destructive method called X-ray fluorescence (XRF), our colleague, geochemist Dr. Rhy McMillan analyzed the elemental compositions of about 70 of the belongings recovered here. From these data, we can figure out the source location of the toolstone used to make the artifacts. This in turn enables us to understand ancient trade routes and social relations. Rhy as well as archaeologist Jerram Ritchie visited Xwe’etay this Sept. to attend our Fall Fair and to scout the beaches to locate local toolstone sources. They were able to determine that much of the island’s toolstone probably comes from the conglomerate rocks found in parts of the island – which have inclusions of fine-grained cobbles that are perfect for flaking. However, they also determined that the local collection of artifacts contains toolstone from exotic materials like obsidian that come from as far away as southeastern Idaho!  Rhy and archaeologist Jerram Ritchie also attended the Fall Fair while on island, and as per usual, the archaeology table at the fair was the busiest of all the displays. Visit Community Planning Report for a more detailed report on the sources of Xwe’etay toolstone.

We also attempted to use ancient DNA of the few recovered doggie bones as another way to understand ancient trade relations. These bones were analyzed at the Smithsonian Institute where Dr. Audrey Lin to determine the dogs’ breeding lineages and if they came from Coast Salish woolly or hunting dogs. Unfortunately, these bones had no DNA preserved, so all we can say for certain is that the Ancestral Peoples of Xwe’etay lived with doggies.

In May of 2024, we were honored to witness another cultural burning for the ancestors.  Like the ritual burning in 2023, this burning was hosted by Qualicum Hereditary Chief Mark Recalma and Matriarch Kim Recalma-Clutesi. Willie Pierre from Katzie and Nanaimo/Cowichan Siem Bill White guided the event – which was witnessed by about 120 island residents and visitors from neighbouring Nations. The table was set for the ancestors on a spectacular, blue-sky day, at Boot Point. Afterwards, we feasted, talked, and sang together in the Hall. For many of us, it was the highlight of our summer.

We have many things to look forward to in XLAP’s future. A highlight among them is the unveiling of the stunningly beautiful welcome mural, to be mounted on the Lasqueti dock in False Bay. The mural was co-created by Qualicum artist Jesse Recalma and island artists Julia Woldmo and Sophia Rosenberg. Informed by the archaeological record and oral traditions, it represents the rich and deep history of Indigenous people and other beings on Xwe’etay. The opening, scheduled for 3 May, will be accompanied by an exhibit on XLAP (currently at the Ingenium Museum in Ottawa.), and a feast with all the project’s friends and supporters.

Photos of the cultural burning ceremony and feast, May 2024.